Regulatory concerns and appraisal efficiency: The general impact of promotion and prevention

It was hypothesized that people's appraisals both of themselves and of othe r objects in the world are more efficient when the emotional dimension unde rlying their appraisals fits their regulatory concerns. Regulatory focus th eory distinguishes 2 such fundamental concerns: promotion concerns with acc omplishment that relate to cheerfulness- and dejection-related emotions, an d prevention concerns with security that relate to quiescence- and agitatio n-related emotions. Five studies found that individuals with stronger promo tion concerns were faster in appraising how cheerful or dejected the object made them feel, whereas individuals with stronger prevention concerns were faster in appraising how quiescent or agitated the object made them feel. These greater appraisal efficiencies were found for both chronic and situat ionally induced promotion and prevention concerns and were independent of b oth the valence and the extremity of the appraisals.